Berry Healthy Baked Ricotta Cakes

Eat to get more healthy - Dessert! Whoa! Doesn't that sound as if Christmas's come early ? Well I can guarantee that at least the Christmas feel would sure to come thanks to this Dessert. I have this recipe from a 'Vegetarian' cookbook and it is one dessert I keep making/eating without that worry of every spoon showing in my tummy or anywhere else I care not to see. Baked Ricotta with berry sauce is as delectable as it is elegant.

So whats so healthy about this dessert. Ok here goes my gist of its ingredients and benefits :

1) BERRIES --> Oh i know that you all know that they are powerhouse of Antioxidants. What i was going to say is that they are also very low in fat, carbs and calories, and v .high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. They prevent us from cancer and heart related diseases. And hey! they also help to slow down the ageing process.!! Now doesn't that sound too good to be true?

2)HONEY --> Honey as we all know has germ fighting properties. It also fights cancer and heart diseases. It helps better functioning of Kidneys and intestines and is also an antioxidant. Energy giver, booster of brain power, a bactericide and the list goes on.

3)RICOTTA --> Ricotta is not technically a cheese cos while other cheeses are made from milk curd, ricotta is made from whey and therefore rich in Whey Protein. Whey protein is a powerful fat burner that contains essential amino acids that build muscle and burn fat. Its a boon cos for it has fewest amounts of calories in return of highest amount of protein. It also helps in fighting prostrate cancer.

4)It also has EGG WHITES ( excluding the Yolks - which is known to have the cholesterol ) which has more than half of the egg's protein. Phew!Isn't this recipe a phenomenal one.

Ingredients

• generous 1 cup ricotta cheese ( part skim /fat free also works. I used part Skim for this one here)
  
  
• 2 egg whites,beaten ( i skipped this for reasons mentioned in my previous posts)
  
  
• 4 tbsp honey,plus extra to taste
  
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
  
• 4 cups mixed fresh/frozen berries (I used unsweetened Frozen Mixed Berries Bag which had Blackberries,strawberries,Raspberries and Blueberries)
  
  

Method

1.Preheat oven to 350F. Place the ricotta cheese in a bowl and break it with a spoon.



2.Add the beaten egg (if using), honey and vanilla extract and mix till the mixture is smooth.



3. Lightly grease 4 ramekins

4. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins and level the top.



Bake them for 20 min or until ricotta are risen and golden. ( usually if you are skipping out the eggs,it wont rise that much;so wait until it turns golden)

5. Meanwhile to make the berry sauce, place the fruits in a saucepan with little water and heat it gently until softened. If using frozen fruits, you can skip the water.



6. Cool it and strain.



7. Season it with honey if the sauce is too tart. I used about a tablespoon of honey and mixed it with the sauce.



8. Serve the sauce warm/cold, with the Baked Ricotta.



Simple, time saving, uncomplicated and Yes! V.Healthy :)

This is my entry for Joanna's HotM#8 - Baking Event